Method, system, and apparatus for forwarding network traffic using minimal forwarding information bases

A system comprising:

• an identification module, stored in memory, that identifies a Routing Information Base (RIB) that includes a set of routes that define paths to destinations both inside and outside a network;
• a creation module, stored in memory, that creates a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) that includes a subset of active routes that has a total size below a size threshold by:
• importing, from the set of routes within the RIB into the FIB:
• internal routes that define paths to destinations inside the network;
• high-traffic external routes that define paths to destinations outside the network that are receiving amounts of traffic that exceed a traffic threshold;
• and
• a default route that defines a path to a default node that facilitates resolution of traffic that does not match any of the internal or high-traffic external routes;
• and
• excluding, from the FIB, low-traffic external routes that define paths to destinations outside the network that do not receive amounts of traffic that exceed the traffic threshold;
• and
• at least one physical processor that executes the identification module and the creation module.

An apparatus comprising:

• a memory device that stores a Routing Information Base (RIB) that includes a set of routes that define paths to destinations both inside and outside a network;
• and
• a processing unit communicatively coupled to the memory device, wherein the processing unit creates a Forwarding Information Base (FIB) that includes a subset of active routes that has a total size below a size threshold by:
• importing, from the set of routes within the RIB into the FIB:
• internal routes that define paths to destinations inside the network;
• high-traffic external routes that define paths to destinations outside the network that are receiving amounts of traffic that exceed a traffic threshold;
• and
• a default route that defines a path to a default node that facilitates resolution of traffic that does not match any of the internal or high-traffic external routes;
• and
• excluding, from the FIB, low-traffic external routes that define paths to destinations outside the network that do not receive amounts of traffic that exceed the traffic threshold.